I took a gamble joining Leinster but I would back myself always

Moving on from Munster and Connacht were major risks for Sean Cronin, but they’ve more than paid off

SEAN CRONIN urns today. He has layed for Leinster 150 times. His reland caps tally stands at 61. Of he Leinster tea likely to start against Racing 92 next Saturday, only Devin Toner, Cian Healy, Rob Kearney and Isa Nacewa will have played ore matches for the province.

It sound improbable, bu Sean Cronin s now a veteran.

Perhaps he seems younger and greener because of the way he plays, in particular the speed that is such an outstanding streng h of his game. He hasn’t een stooped by 12 year of grinding, wearing professional sport. It is also ttributable to his Irish status: f those 61 aps, 2 come as has have a replacement. ronin been pre ferred s a game-breaker, a front-row fo ar who can run like a back, and so is a powerful malgam of power and pace introduc in the second half of Tests. But Cronin s no reenhorn. He ll compete for his second ropean Cup in ix days’ ime, nd it seems probable he will feature in s third World Cup in Japan next year. If he is entitled to be proud of what he has achieved, there seems little hance of him succumbing o complacency. Only six month ago, fter l , questions about his internationa future were prompted by exclusion rom the Irish squad for the November internationals. ‘It was probably he ick up the a***

I needed at the time to refocus and it gave me a chance to play here,’ he says now. ‘You have thos ups and downs. I hink I’m probably on bit of an up now, which is good.’

In he manner of such announcements, r nin’s omission was explained away f icially by polite talk: the coaches said they knew hat he could and wanted to explore other options on his occasion playing as old, “Look, other guys re well”, hich they were the time,’ e recalls. I wasn’t playing ell. They ever atted me n the back and said “We’ll ak sure ou get back in”. I bviously new that I had to away nd work hard. I like o think that’s the kind of person m: that gave me the kick that I needed to addres the stuf I needed to address an get right.’ He has done so, whic expl ai ns why he will start between He aly and Tadh Furlong in Bil bao. Cronin as ee excellent ince the urn of he year, even road-testing his speed in the inter-provincial win against Connacht n New Year’s ay He lmost caught out Bundee ki with a break outside the Ireland centre, forcing Aki into anicked defence. ‘I hadn’t seen is eye light up ike that n a while when ried o take im on the outside,’ chuckles Cronin. ‘He told me a fterwards “Don’t ver do that to again”.’ Inter-pro matches still come acked with ignificance, whic wa wh Cronin arrived for this interview pologising. Training had over-ran, ith plenty to

fix, he said, after the hammering Leinster endured in Galway he previous Saturday. He played the last half-hour

of hat match, nd hile the frustration f losing by 37 points to their countrymen will have stung, it had no practical conseq ences or einster’s league status. Nor is it expected o carry a cost s they prepare for Racing, ut osing in Galway will have come with articular bite for Cronin, given the normous effect hree years at the Sportsground had on his career. He left Munster in the summer of 2008, a 22-year-old Limerickman whose opportunities for advancement looked feeble in a squad that had just become European champions for the second e in three seasons. Three years in a way sa him become an Irish international, nd three years later he oved to Dublin, to asquad that had not long since won its second European title. His willingness to take risks by moving made him. It has resonance in a time when talk of moving etween the provinces is a sensitive ubject as far as einster and th fate Joey arbery re oncerned. ‘I on’t ant to iv you an answer that s easy to say, ut t is such a personal decision,’ e starts. ‘For e, yeah, it as ough o leave Munster but was fourth r fifth-choice hooker. Declan idney was bringing i guys in front of me even when there were injuries, which kind f annoyed me small bit. I thought I was good enough to be t least thirdchoice thereand if here were guys away on nternational duty, but it never came to pass.

‘It was tough for me to leav You know, I admire guys who are one club men, it’s a good thing to have in your career to look back on. But I also admire guys who have the balls to move and are willing to be, not ambitious, but f they can see it’s better career path, like, on a ersona level, then all the est for them. ‘It was tough for me to move from Connacht as well. I had three years there and you kind of have that affinity with the place and I suppose, it’s a tough decision for any guy at any time in your career, you’re uprooting not just yourself, it’s your family. ‘ An opponent on Saturday took that philosophy to a place that, in the context of Irish rugby, was daring. Donnacha Ryan rade a career that would probably have extended as far as the World Cup in apan for two years in France ith Racing 92. Cronin layed alongside Ryan on an All-Ireland League-winning hannon team 2 years ago, nd he spent re than half ecade together n Irish duty, too. ‘He was in hannon or that year hat we on he IL nd ot o know him then really, really well,’ ronin says, before tarting to laugh and recounting a story from his early involvement with Kidney’s Ireland.

‘W were training down in Cork nd we were late travelling own) Do nacha was giving t the usual, It’ll be grand, t’ll be grand”, and I was only young fella. So we came in late or he meeting and Declan Kidney came p and tapped e on he houlder afte wards. e goes, “I’ve one bit of dvice for you: don’t et ifts ff onnacha Ryan nymore”, and ust walked ff. ‘I hought e wa going to at e. That as he it f ad ce nd as going “yeah, an ee here ou’re coming from”,’ remarks Cronin. They are not in regular contact now, but Ryan will fill Cronin’s thoughts this week. ing have an excellent defensive lineout and, led y Ryan, they picked Munster’s set-piece apart in the em final. It as ust one of he malfunction on orrible afternoon for the vanquished, but one spects t was that particular theatre of a tle that tuck ith Cronin. Hi throwing often cited in he as as a weakness n hi game, ha been xceptional hi ason But it s th nature ig atches hat entire asons, nd he mpressions left y them are shaped y the major one-offs. Ryan ill be eter mined to a e Cronin nd einster’s beanpoles serable. ‘All e does is trawl through video. Even ith Ireland, it was video, ideo, video. e s like Tom rady n the NFL so e’ll e well-versed in ha we re doin so ll probably have adjust a few things for him.’ Leinster did not lose one of their in eouts against Saracens n th quarternal or the rlets in he ast four. Cronin credits scrum oach nd retired hooker – ohn Fogarty, but lso with refusing to anic or make rastic changes to is technique his season. Ryan s unlikely o spook him, hen. Cronin score a try in the rout of Ulster in the 2012 final, after coming on as a substitute. He i central in the Leinster eckoning ow. ‘I new coming ere that I’d hav a massive fight on y hands. ut as ambitious and woul never have regretted going to onnacht and was really appy with my hree ears there, he evelopment hat gave ‘But acked myself t the time to come ere and knew that I’d have he capabilities f coming a club ik is nd aybe oing ell for self.’ He’s one that, and he’s ot one yet.